70

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

of reckless, murdering, gambling gold-seekers. Their goldis gone, now what remains behind ?—we shall see when weget to Spain .

I have already mentioned that my uncle, Don Felix, afterserving in the French army under Lafayette, in theAmerican war of independence, returned to Rome andentered the church. He was a man of very social habitsand agreeable conversation. From the latter I derivedmuch pleasure and instruction. His benevolence occasion-ally got the better of his judgment, till on one occasionbecoming security for an old friend, to the amount of awhole cargo of wheat, somehow or other, he was left topay the value. This loss embarrassed him sorely, but mymost generous father came to his aid and settled upon hima comfortable pension, so that he was enabled to pay hisloss by instalments, which he actually effected to the lastfarthing. Amongst other rounds which I frequently tookin company with Don Felix, I will mention the library ofthe Vatican , where he pointed out to my attention a varietyof most interesting memorials of antiquity. Amongst others,he showed me several “ Gospels ” of the Christian church, allof which had had their days of reverence and acceptationas the genuine word of God , but which have beensuccessively discarded “ as unorthodox,” by different suc-cessive councils of the assembled Christian prelates, so asto have thus reduced the number to the present four, whichwere thought to be the most coinciding in their recitals.Amongst the first things that struck my attention, so muchas to induce me to copy it, was an inscription over a crucifix,in one of the chambers of the Vatican , through which wepassed to the library. It is attributed to the Father of thechurch, St. Ciprianus “ Cruci herimus, sanguinem sugimus,et inter ipsa ridemptoris nostri vulner a Jigimus linguam."